Why Not Just Tent Fumigate For Bed Bugs And Save The Mess?

Posted on June 8, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

In America, no other household insect in recent times has been more difficult to keep up with than bed bugs, a blood sucking menace that seems to be advancing across the globe at will. It also seems just as hard to keep up with all of the different methods, chemicals, machines and high tech devices there are to deal with them. Peruse any pest control magazine or go to any trade show and you might think you’re in the ‘bar scene’ of the original blockbuster movie Star Wars. We have freeze guns, special vision wear, UV flashlights, c02 traps, bed bug sniffing dogs of all breeds, heat machines, new & improved chemicals and even specialty monitor traps where the bug can’t climb the slick surface or gets caught in a well thought out pattern of sticky glue dots. But in the end with all our high tech gadgets bed bug work still looks like a hurricane went through the home and the home owner is left to clean up the mess.
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What Is The Best Bait For Mouse Traps?

Posted on June 6, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Over the years I get this question quite a lot. What is the best bait for mouse traps? Is there any one thing that will lure them in time after time without fail? For as long as there has been mouse traps I think people have used cheese for the main attractant, peanut butter is another popular choice as well. Both of these have strong and desirable odors for a mouse that last for some time but so many times homeowners get frustrated because in the morning when they check their traps, the bait is gone but there is no mouse to be had. I’ve seen people use all sorts of different concoctions and believe it or not- everything has worked at least one time or two. The real question I think people are asking however isn’t what will attract the mouse to the trap but what substance will ensure them getting caught. I say, Why not get service from a pro?
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Posted in Rats and Mice | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Consider The Lifetime Value Of Your Customer & Grow Exponentially You Have The Key

Posted on June 4, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Well our original question was What is the LIFETIME value of a customer? which we discussed in part 1. Then in part 2 we went looking for a key and I sort of left you hanging- my bad but I think you’ll see the light soon. I also promised you two stories and with these I think we can wrap this up and give you that key and then of course the rest is up to you.
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Consider The Lifetime Value Of Your Customer & Grow Exponentially Part 2

Posted on June 2, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Well you’re either back for part two or you’ve just clicked in to my site in search of some information on how to grow your pest control company. Either way I’m glad to have you. If you’re just dropping in though maybe click here, read part 1 and then this part will make much more sense. Since I know most of you are back from reading the 1st article and I’m sure did your due diligence on our little assignment let’s get that key in the lock and open up some growth!

What Did You Think Of?

No wrong answers here but just an interesting exercise. When I asked you “Would you give something of real value to attain a customer” what came to mind? Hopefully it was a number of things ranging from say a TV, dinner, free service, $5.00 bucks off or maybe just a Thank you card. Did you finally settle on one? Depending on what you charge probably influenced what you thought of right? For this example let’s just say your average annual pest contract is worth $300. Kind of hard to swallow giving a TV away at that price isn’t it? So what about stepping down to a dinner- that would be anywhere from $50 to $100. Still kind of high huh? Ok, maybe a $5.00 referral fee or maybe a free yard spray. With this question I’d be willing to bet that your answers pretty much fit within the framework of what you’ve determined an average customer is worth. I didn’t give you a price in part 1 but if you came to a conclusion similar in value to my referral fee or a yard spray that really only costs you a few bucks you definitely under estimate the lifetime value of your customer.
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Consider The Lifetime Value Of Your Customer & Grow Exponentially Part 1

Posted on June 1, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

What is the LIFETIME value of a customer? Do you have that answer for your business, your route, your sales rolodex? Often when I speak to new or struggling operators I ask this question & if I get a blank stare then I know I’ve uncovered at least one problem–eh hhhm, let’s rephrase that- OPPORTUNITY to put at least one wheel on the right track and help get positive things moving.

One Thought At A Time

Just as a journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step, changing your thinking in business is one thought at a time and it starts with just one and builds from there. Some steps are big leaps, some are small and timid and some even go in the wrong direction but at least it’s a step and the ball gets rolling so let’s not worry about perfection or results for now- let’s just get moving. I want you to take a minute and answer these few questions. No poll to click and I’m not asking for comments below, just you in the privacy of your office with the horizon of what you want to happen somewhere in the distance.
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Terminix Buys Out Univar-Is It A Monopoly? What’s your opinion?

Posted on May 30, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

The title of this article is wrong but after sifting through a couple of days of research on this subject I can’t bring myself to change it. I mean who knew that Univar, a trusted chemical distributor since 1924 was even for sale in the first place? On top of that, raise your hand if you knew Terminix, the worlds largest pest control company wasn’t even owned by- uh Terminix? CD&R an investment group bought the struggling giant (they had debts of $800 million- but who knew that either? sshhh, don’t say anything) out on March 19th, 2007 for $5.5 Billion dollars. Well, just as quietly it seems that this aggressive investment group has just bought out Univar who coincidentally is the worlds largest pest control product distributor. So if the title were to be corrected it might read something like;
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If You Had To Rename Your Pest Control Company-What Would you Call It?

Posted on May 25, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

I’ve been in business for a few years now and the name of my company is not something I consciously think about very often. Actually I see other bug trucks out on the road and find myself thinking about their names more than mine and wonder how they came up with them. Still I remember going back and forth with a few choices but The Bug Doctor just kind of stuck out. My first tag line was- “All my patients die” but being in a town predominantly inhabited by elderly citizens, that didn’t work out to well. Now, years later the one joke I’m so weary of hearing is- “I called a bug killer, not someone who makes them well.” Ugh… Naming your company is an important first step in any new venture and reasons for the name are just as important. I think if I had to, knowing what I know today- I might just be called something different. Would you?
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I BID You Farewell

Posted on May 19, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

There comes a time in every career where you realize you just have to walk away. You’d love to keep pouring your heart out, imparting the knowledge that took you years to attain but when it continues to fall on deaf ears the discouragement becomes too much to bear. I guess it’s taken me till now figure this out which either proves my hopeless optimism or maybe I’ve just been stubborn. No matter the path, I finally arrived to a decision and at this time I think it’s best to just step to the side and let this world in all its craziness and loud directionless voice go by. It may come as a shock for some of you who have been my faithful readers to hear that I’ve taken this position but it is something I think all pest control operators can learn from so please allow me to explain.
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Is God Setting Us Up For A Super Plague?

Posted on May 13, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Regardless if you’re fluent in biblical speak, I don’t know many people who haven’t at least heard about the great plagues in Egypt written about in the old testament of the Bible. There were 10 plagues sent onto the land back then and 4 of them were direct pest infestations while 3 others were most likely horrible bi-products from them. Frogs, gnats, flies and locusts were all sent when Pharaoh refused to listen and let the people of Israel go as Moses asked. These plagues covered the land, destroyed food supplies and goods and caused severe distress for the people at that time (oddly enough not the Israelites-hmmm).

Now having a billion frogs hopping about or hordes of locust filling the sky would be bad enough but the secondary effects from these pests also counted as plagues were equally devastating and are as follows; The flies were most likely stable flies known to carry an ancient disease called “Glanders” which causes boils. Boils was the 6th plague. The gnats also referred to as lice at the time caused African Horse Sickness and Blue Tongue which killed the livestock in the 3rd plague. Micro organisms in locust droppings can be lethal and in famines of those days it was custom to give the oldest child a double portion of food in a sort of self preservation theory- I guess. In this case it was a toxic meal and thus the last plague was death as a result of eating contaminated foods caused by insects. So in essence 7 out of the 10 plagues were pest related but here we are some 5 or 6 thousand years later and I’m wondering.
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My Failures At Pest Proofing-Two Lessons In What Not To Do

Posted on May 10, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

An important part of any pest control program is simply to keep the bugs or vermin from getting inside in the first place. Exterior chemical barriers are wonderful but just what do you spray over a torn screen or how thick would your granules have to be to block insects from using a worn thresh hold for entry? Many pest professionals offer pest exclusion services and apparently are quite good at it. Caulk lines are straight and smooth, metal screening cut to fit and they even manage to get that ‘foam in a can’ to fill up cracks and gaps in walls without looking like a 2nd grade science project.

Now I’m not a fan of the “Jack of all trades” approach to pest control but I do appreciate the need to at least know some of the basics to provide a pest free home for my clients using at least some simple techniques. The following are two quick examples of What Not To Do which I learned early in my career.
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Are You A Mega Company? Then Who Cares About You?

Posted on May 3, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Did you know a church becomes a “mega church” when it gets over 2 to 3 thousand people regularly attending?. According to the government you’re considered a small business if you have 500 employees or less. They even have a number where you can gauge if you’re rich. Earning $250,000.00 or more puts you in that class but you’re still miles away from being mega rich- for that you need to earn millions. I don’t even want to talk about uber rich, I’m depressed already.

So are you a Mega Pest Control Company? If not don’t dismay, in fact the majority of the pest control companies in the world are what most would consider small. In fact, based on the definitions above they might just be specks on the map. Just Mom & Pops working diligently or a hard working guy or gal who struggled and put in the effort to assemble a nice crew. These firms for the most part do very nicely and you’d be amazed at some of the impressive accounts, equipment and knowledge they have. While the mega companies are the most visible I contend it is the small companies that are the back bone of the industry.
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5 Classic Entry Points Bugs Use To Get In Your Home

Posted on April 26, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

One common question I get all the time is, “How do bugs find their way into my home?” What we think of as a totally impenetrable fortress,- our home- can suddenly be inundated with unwanted pests and our first thought is ‘How did they get in?’
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If Pest Granules Covered The World

Posted on April 20, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

Some people will go to almost any lengths to rid themselves of unwanted bugs. Whole gallons of ‘Do It Yourself’ killer liquids are applied to every surface of the home while entire aerosol cans are used to lay to waste a tiny wasp nest or lone spider. It seems that more is not enough and little regard is taken as long as the end result is a patio full of twitching ants or a barrier so thick that the homeowner is satisfied their bug shield is impenetrable from future attacks.

In my line of work I see all sorts of dangerous and sloppy applications like this but once the slippery goo dries it’s kind of a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ This is not really a good thing because most homeowners have absolutely zero faith in residual barriers so when they see another bug they go back to what they know and break out the arsenal once again even if it’s only a few hours later.
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The Obvious Answer…My Company Sucks

Posted on April 16, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

The following is a two actor script for a play that’s been running even longer than the famous and longest running production Cats. Due to a looming actors strike we’ve had to adapt and abbreviate the production but I’m sure you’ll get the flavor of where this is going because unless I miss my guess; This has happened to you.
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The 5 Year Termite Trap

Posted on April 13, 2011 by The Bug Doctor

If you’re unfortunate enough to discover your home is infested with termites it can come as a pretty big shock. For most home owners there is no visible clue of what is lurking in the walls but when the living room fills up one spring morning with vast numbers of flying termites people are forced into action. The second big whammy is getting estimates for the work needed to be done to get rid of them, termite work can be costly. Even modest homes can run you a couple thousand dollars or more in some cases. Prices are mostly arrived at by linear feet but construction type, attached slabs, veneers, treatment by termite baiting or termite liquid and other factors come into play as well. There are even termite price calculators on line and by simply typing in a little information about your home you’ll see what I mean.
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